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There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. \xa0She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2: 36-38)

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There was a law in Israel, it shows up a couple times in Deuteronomy and it goes like this: \u201cOne witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses\u201d (Deuteronomy 19:15).

In Luke\u2019s gospel and in the book of Acts, as well as in other places scattered throughout the New Testament, you\u2019ll find this wisdom in play.\xa0 As these writers seek to establish the truth and validity of their witness to Jesus they often give not one, but two testimonies.\xa0 Luke has a special twist on this theme.\xa0 He will often ensure gender parity in his slate of witnesses so that we will hear from both a man and a woman.\xa0 This is one of the first instances of this theme at play in Luke\u2019s gospel that doesn\u2019t come from the family of Jesus or John themselves.\xa0 Remember too, that this pair of witness show up in the section of chapter 2 that\u2019s all about righteous law-keeping at the centre of Israel\u2019s life in the Temple.\xa0

So we meet Simeon and hear him praise God, bless, and testify to Mary and Joseph about their son who is the salvation of Israel.\xa0 Then we meet Anna too, who also came \u201cup to them at that very moment.\u201d\xa0

While Simeon\u2019s words are directed to God and to Mary and Joseph, Anna\u2019s words are directed to the people.\xa0 Simeon is noted to be a righteous and devout man, but Anna is acclaimed to be a prophet.\xa0 Simon does all the speaking, or at least all the speech that\u2019s quoted, but Anna appears to be the one even more significantly at the heart of Israel\u2019s faith.\xa0

\u201cShe never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.\u201d\xa0 And she was a prophet: one called by God to minister the word\u2014both God\u2019s word to his people and the people\u2019s words to God.\xa0 More than that though, Anna had long been recognized by the people and by the Temple authorities themselves as someone called to this work.\xa0 As we will discover later in the gospels, one does not just mill around in the Temple claiming to be a prophet without the permission of the religious authorities.\xa0 The Temple guards knew she was there and the priests did too.\xa0 Her presence there for so many long years speaks to their affirmation and authorization of her role as a prophet among the people.\xa0

So it is Anna\u2014and not Simeon\u2014who speaks to the people about this child.\xa0 We may often think of Anna as just this cute, busy-body of an old lady who flits about, babbling excited niceties with all the passers by.\xa0 \u201cOh look at the cute baby!\xa0 He\u2019s gunna save us all, eh!\u201d\xa0 But no.\xa0 That is not the picture.\xa0

Anna is introduced with gravity in the same way any prophet is introduced with a pedigree when we first meet them.\xa0 Isaiah, son of Amoz.\xa0 Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah.\xa0 Anna, daughter of Penuel of Asher.\xa0 She is a prophet in the line of prophets.\xa0 She has been acclaimed as such by the people and their leaders, and as a pillar of 84 years in the Temple, she speaks as one with authority.\xa0 Not only that, but from long years of ministry, she knows which Temple goers are looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.\xa0 It is to these faithful in Israel that the word of the Lord from Anna comes.\xa0 \u201cBehold the child of the promise: your redemption draws nigh.\u201d\xa0

Israel\u2019s ancient faith, full of memory and faithfulness is witnessed to by Anna of the prophets and Simeon of the faithful people of God.\xa0 Both of them have remembered well and reflected long on God\u2019s word and promises\u2014throughout their lifetimes.\xa0 And now, by their dual testimony they witness to God\u2019s doing of a new thing through this child that is firmly anchored in Israel\u2019s past and that fully matches Israel\u2019s future hope.\xa0

It takes long years marinating in the word, rituals, and gatherings of God and his people to come to a faith like that.\xa0 We are invited by the stories of Anna and Simeon to do just that though.\xa0 To remain in the church, to remain in the scriptures, to remain in conversation with God in prayer long enough for him to do his long work in us of shaping, in Christ, both our memory and our hope.

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